Sharp Wrist Pain

[Mr_Slim]

hey all

having what is now a long term problem with my wrist, where i get sharp pain whenever pressure is put on the wrist. this is of most concern when doing things like bench press or push ups - basically any pressure at all and i have to quit.

i've tried exercises for it before a long time ago, and saw physio for it as well, and it had not been solved. occassionally the problem would go away, but when it comes back, it is really sharp pain.

has anyone had anything similar that they may be able to relate to?

thanks!

[jgreystoke]

Hi Mr Slim

Very little to go on, but benches and pushups should not hurt the wrist unless your technique is poor and/or your wrists weak.

Don't ever use the thumbless grip(aka false or suicide grip) for the bench. This usually causes your wrist to hyperextend which overstretches the ligaments and gives you a very weak joint, prone to strain. Also the weight can easily roll off your hands and kill you. Major bummer.

Don't do pushups in a way that hyperextends your wrists, ie. bends them back too far.

You need to strengthen those wrists. Do dead hangs from something like a chinning bar, or the top of a sturdy door, every day. Keep a hard grip. This is not a stretching exercise. It puts your wrists under a very high static load(bodyweight) and will do wonders to make your wrists more robust even though no-one thinks of it as a wrist exercise. Lean against a sturdy table with your hands in supinate position(in this case, palm forward) and support your weight on your palms, with the fingers over the edge. Do not put your fingers on the table or your wrists will hyperextend. This is another great strengthener.It won't irritate your injured wrists because it is isometric, ie. no motion. Again, the load is high, this time compression.

Only when your wrists have strenghtened up a lot should you move on to a more varied program to strengten your whole lower arms: hands, wrists and forearms. Let me know when you want to know more about ways to accomplish this.

Take care and good luck with your recovery.